Martial Arts in the Playground

[Brother Oni]

I wasn't even thinking about that, actually. I guess I may have given the wrong impression of myself there, sorry. I was moreso thinking that in groups where you're the only member of your sex you feel more quickly left out, or conversations arise that you're either unfamiliar or uncomfortable with.

While I see what your problem is, to be honest it's a bit of a non-issue in my opinion. It's not a social club, you're there to learn a martial art - if the class ends up more like a social club than a martial arts lesson, then you'll probably want to find a new school.

Edit: I just realised that I'm probably biased in my viewpoint of disregarding the social aspect. As an ethnic minority, I'm so used to being outnumbered in a different way that I don't really pay much attention to the gender balance.

That being said though, there'd likely be other forms of awkwardness involved if I'd spar with a girl who I find attractive.

While this is probably where the groin guard comes in useful, I think it'd depend on what your personality is like. Aggressive physical action pretty much shuts down any libido I have.

While I have sparred against some very attractive women, I quickly realised that it would be sexist and disrespectful of me to treat them any different - they're there to train, not to get drooled over. If you want to try and hit on them, do so after the class.

About the only time I 'go easy' on my partner is when there's a significant skill/physical difference or they ask me to - I ended up once against one poor girl who about half my weight, 6" shorter and had only started kickboxing that term (I had been training for about 4 years by that point). I just didn't have the heart to spar properly against her.